Plans for 42 homes in Mawnan Smith refused for the second time

A CAMPAIGNER for affordable housing in a village near Falmouth said the decision to refuse it for the second time was “shocking.”

Plans for 42 houses in Goldmartin Fields in Mawnan Smith were turned down by Cornwall Council at a meeting yesterday.

Posting on a Facebook support group for affordable homes in the village, Emma Taynton-Young said: “It was shocking. They all sat their and ignored the advice of the planning officer, denied the need for affordable homes and then claimed there were better sites in the village.

“I support this planning application because I want to live in the village I grew up in. We need more affordable homes in the village. It is part of the approved parish plan and will make a positive contribution to the village... and it provides a workable solution to the national problem of young people having to live with their parents because there is a shortage of affordable homes in rural areas.”

Among 129 comments on Cornwall Council’s planning web site, Jeremy Kirk wrote: “I am incredulous that an application should even be considered so soon after the previous application by Westcountry Land had been turned down.”

Comments

We all agree that Cornwall has for many years been in need of "affordable homes". Sadly, they simply don't exist as it's nearly always the developer's excuse to build. If they do, then invariably the houses are sold at the market price and the developer moves on. Only under exceptional circumstances can houses be sold at below the market price with caveats. So, it's more a case of "unaffordable housing" in Cornwall for the foreseeable future. The only thing that will make houses in Cornwall "affordable" will be a property crash and, from what I have seen here, that is very unlikely.